Guide for a leaf, drawer or the like

ABSTRACT

A guide for a drawer includes a rail and a device for holding the rail on the drawer. The holding device has a mounting portion which is secured to the drawer by a fastener, a resilient leg and a lever which is perpendicular to the rail. The rail is provided with an aperture and the leg has a protrusion which is receivable in the aperture so as to engage the rail. The protrusion can be withdrawn from the aperture by pulling on the lever. The lever is remote from one end of the leg and at least this end of the leg is fast with the mounting portion of the holding device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a guide for a leaf, drawer or the like.The guide includes an outer rail, a guide rail fixable along alongitudinal side of a leaf, drawer or the like, and a locking componentfixable to a leaf, drawer or the like. The locking component is providedwith a resilient leg having a locking projection which engages in acutout of the guide rail, and a lever which is connected with this leg.The resilient leg can be actuated, and its locking projection withdrawnfrom the cutout of the guide rail, by means of the lever which isapproximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the guide rail.

Guides of the type described are known per se. The locking componentwith its resilient leg and the lever connected therewith make itpossible to bring a leaf, drawer or the like into operative engagementwith the guide rail. The guide rail is movable along a outer rail andthe outer rail serves to fix the entire guide to an article offurniture.

During assembly, a leaf, drawer or the like can be pushed along theguide rail until the locking projection of the resilient leg enters thecutout of the guide rail. In this position, relative shifting of theguide rail and the leaf, drawer or the like is no longer possible.

If the leaf, drawer or the like is again to be disengaged from the guiderail, the lever must be manipulated to withdraw the locking projectionfrom the cutout of the guide rail. In this position, complete separationof the guide rail from the leaf, drawer or the like can be achieved.

Both longitudinal sides of a leaf, drawer or the like are equipped withsuch guides. Hence, locking components are provided on both sides.

With the known guides of this type, there is the danger of unintentionalwithdrawal of the respective locking projection from the correspondingcutout, particularly in the case of large pulling loads.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to improve a guide of the abovetype in such a manner that reliable engagement of the guide rail and thelocking component is insured even under extreme loads.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that at least theend of the resilient leg remote from the lever is connected to a sectionof the locking component which can be immovably affixed to a leaf,drawer or the like.

This design provides the advantage that the locking projection locatedbetween the lever and the juncture of the resilient leg and the lockingcomponent firmly catches in the cutout of the guide rail when the leaf,drawer or the like is subjected to large pulling loads. In other words,unintentional release is virtually eliminated even at high loads.

The support for the lever, the locking projection and the juncture ofthe resilient leg and the locking component, lie approximately on a lineparalleling the guide rail. This is favorable both for reliableengagement and for intentional manipulation in the event that release ofthe guide rail from the locking component is contemplated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are described in moredetail below, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective, highly schematic illustration of an article offurniture with a drawer;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in the direction of the arrow II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to that of FIG. 2 but with aportion of the structural components shown in FIG. 2 omitted;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 with a different operativeposition of the functional components;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to that of FIG. 2 with the leaf,drawer or the like partially withdrawn;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to that of FIG. 2, of anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to that of FIG. 6 but with aportion of the structural components shown in FIG. 6 omitted;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a retaining cam secured to an outer rail;

FIG. 9 is a section along the line IX--IX of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a side view of a locking component forming part of thestructure of FIGS. 2-5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 identifies an article of furniturewhich is illustrated in phantom and is equipped with a drawer 11likewise only illustrated in phantom. The drawer 11, or a comparableleaf, is provided with guides at the two longitudinal sides thereof in amanner known per se. The guides are generally identified by thereference numeral 12.

Each of the guides 12 includes an outer rail 13 and a guide rail 14, aswell as a locking component 15 which is shown in FIGS. 2 to 5.

The respective outer rails 13 are fixable to the article of furniturewhile the guide rails 14, which are slidably guided along these outerrails, are fixable at the longitudinal sides of the drawer 11.

Fixing of the guide rails to the drawer 11 is accomplished by means ofthe previously mentioned locking component 15 which is described belowin detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

As shown particularly clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4, the locking component 15is provided with a lever 18 and a resilient leg 16 formed with a lockingprojection 17. The locking component 15 is secured to the drawer 11 inits entirety. The locking projection 17 engages in a cutout 19 of theneighboring guide rail 14 and can again be withdrawn from the cutout 19by actuation of the lever 18 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

When the locking projection 17 engages in the cutout 19, the desiredconnection between the guide rail 14 and the drawer 11 is produced. Inthis position, which is shown in FIG. 3, relative shifting of the drawer11 and the guide rail 14 is not possible. In other words upon shiftingof the drawer 11 relative to the article of furniture, the guide rails14 connected with the drawer 11 at the longitudinal sides thereofundergo the same motion and thereby shift relative to the outer rails13.

On the other hand, if the drawer 11 is to be completely released fromthe article of furniture, e.g., for cleaning, the connection with theguide rails 14 can be broken by actuation of the lever 18 and the drawer11 completely withdrawn from the article of furniture 10.

FIGS. 2 to 5 make it very clear that the lever 18 for actuating theresilient leg 16 and the locking projection 17 formed thereon extendsapproximately normal to the longitudinal axis of the guide rail 14. Thismeans that the lever 18 runs approximately parallel to the front side ofthe drawer 11. Thus, if the lever 18 is to be actuated, it is necessaryto pull the lever 18 in the direction of the front side of the drawer 11as indicated by the arrow A in FIGS. 3 and 4. The lever 18 is veryconvenient to grasp and pulling of the lever in the stated direction canalso be performed without a problem. Manipulation is accordingly greatlysimplified in comparison to conventional structures.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 5, only one end 20 of the leg 16 isconnected with the section 21 of the locking component 15 which issecured to the drawer. The free end 22 of the resilient leg 16, on whichthe lever 18 is formed, bears against the neighboring flank of the guiderail 14.

It is very clear from FIGS. 2, 5 and 10 that the locking component isprovided with a resilient leg 23 in a plane parallel, but displacedrelative, to the resilient leg 16. A retaining cam 24 located in therange of movement of the resilient leg 23 is secured to the outer rail13 in the plane of the resilient leg 23. The resilient leg 23 and theretaining cam 24 together form a retaining device for the drawer 11 inthe closed position thereof. The resilient leg 23 travels over theretaining cam 24 during closing of the drawer and secures the closedposition of the drawer 11. When the drawer 11 is opened, the retainingcam 24 is again traversed thereby requiring the exertion of a certainforce.

The entire locking component 15 including the resilient leg 16, thelever 18 and the resilient leg 23 is preferably made of one piece fromplastic. The retaining cam 24 is likewise produced in one piece fromplastic.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 differsfrom the previously described embodiment only in that the section of thelocking component 15 which is secured to the drawer 11 is connected toboth ends 20 and 22 of the resilient leg 16 formed with the lockingprojection 17. The function and operation of the locking component 15are the same as in the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 5.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show that the retaining cam 24 is releasably connected tothe outer rail 13 via two protuberances 25 and 26 on the retaining cam24. The protuberances 25 and 26 pass through the respective openings 27and 28 in the outer rail 13 and are provided with heads 29 and 30 whichengage behind the openings 27 and 28. Furthermore, the retaining cam 24is adjustable transverse to the longitudinal direction of the outer rail13 which is seen particularly clearly in FIG. 8.

As clearly shown in FIG. 8, the part of the retaining cam 24 passingthrough the guide rail 13 is provided with a toothed arresting portion31 which cooperates with a correspondingly toothed section of theopening 28 in the guide rail 13. The entire retaining cam 24 can bepivoted relative to the guide rail 13 in accordance with thedouble-headed arrow B illustrated in FIG. 8 and can thus be shifted, toa greater or lesser degree, into the range of movement of a resilientleg 23 constituting part of a locking component 15. The retaining forcescan accordingly be varied within certain limits.

As is apparent from FIGS. 3 to 5 and 7, each leg 16 has a transitionregion between the lever 18 and the section of the leg 16 with thelocking projection 17, and a cassette hinge 32 is provided in therespective transition region. Furthermore, these FIGURES make it clearthat each lever 18 is longer than the distance between the respectivecassette hinge 32 and the support point for the lever 18, i.e., themoment arm which arises upon intentional actuation of the lever 18 toeffect a release is considerably longer than the moment arm resultingfrom the structural design. Intentional release thus requires relativelylittle force.

We claim:
 1. A guide for an extendible and retractable component of anarticle of furniture, comprising at least one elongated guide memberhaving an aperture; and a device for connecting said one guide member tothe furniture component, said device including a mounting portion havingmeans for securing said device to the furniture component, an arrestingleg having a first end connected to said mounting portion, a second endand an arresting portion receivable in said aperture to establish aconnection with said one guide member, and a lever for disengaging saidarresting portion from said one guide member, said lever being connectedto said leg at a location remote from said first end, said leg having aflexible portion between said arresting portion and said lever to permitflexing thereof upon actuation of said lever with resultant displacementof said arresting portion from said aperture.
 2. The guide of claim 1,wherein said one guide member comprises a rail.
 3. The guide of claim 1,wherein said arresting portion comprises a projection on said leg. 4.The guide of claim 1, wherein said lever is arranged to extendsubstantially perpendicular to said one guide member when said one guidemember is connected to the furniture component.
 5. The guide of claim 1,wherein said lever extends transversely of said leg.
 6. The guide ofclaim 1, wherein said lever is located at said second end of said leg.7. The guide of claim 1, wherein said device is made in one piece ofplastic.
 8. The guide of claim 1, wherein said second end of said leg isconnected to said mounting portion.
 9. The guide of claim 1, whereinsaid second end of said leg is free and bears against said one guidemember when said one guide member is connected to the furniturecomponent by said device.
 10. The guide of claim 1, wherein said legflexible portion is a hinge.
 11. The guide of claim 1, wherein saidmounting portion comprises means for securing said device to thefurniture component such that said lever is located underneath thefurniture component.
 12. The guide of claim 1 for use with an extendibleand retractable furniture component having a front side, wherein saidmounting portion comprises means for securing said device to thefurniture component such that said lever is located underneath thefurniture component and is movable in a direction towards the front sidethereof.
 13. The guide of claim 1 wherein said lever has a nose whichengages said elongated guide member when said lever is actuated toprovide a lever camming action to flex said leg flexible portion.
 14. Aguide for an extendible and retractable component of an article offurniture, comprising at least one elongated guide member having anaperture; and a device for connecting said one guide member to thefurniture component, said device including a mounting portion havingmeans for securing said device to the furniture component, an arrestingleg having first and second ends and an arresting portion receivable insaid aperture so as to establish a connection with said one guidemember, a lever for disengaging said arresting portion from said oneguide member, and a hinge between said arresting portion and said leverto permit flexing upon actuation of said lever with resultantdisplacement of said arresting portion, said lever being connected tosaid leg at a location remote from said first end, and said first endbeing connected to said mounting portion, said lever projecting fromsaid device at a predetermined location of said device and having alength exceeding the distance between said hinge and said predeterminedlocation.
 15. A guide for an extendible and retractable component of anarticle of furniture, comprising a first elongated guide member havingan aperture; a device for connecting said first guide member to thefurniture component, said device including a mounting portion havingmeans for securing said device to the furniture component, an arrestingleg having first and second ends and an arresting portion receivable insaid aperture so as to establish a connection with said first guidemember, a lever for disengaging said arresting portion from said firstguide member, and a second leg having a section which is substantiallyparallel to said arresting leg, said lever being connected to saidarresting leg at a location remote from said first end, and said firstend being connected to said mounting portion; a second elongated guidemember which cooperates with said first guide member to guide thefurniture component between an extended position and a retractedposition; and a retaining cam mounted on said second guide member suchthat said cam and said section are substantially coplanar at least inthe retracted position of the furniture component and cooperate to biasthe furniture component into the retracted position.
 16. The guide ofclaim 15, wherein said second leg is resilient.
 17. The guide of claim15, wherein each of said guide members comprises a rail.
 18. The guideof claim 15, wherein said cam and said other guide member cooperate tocouple said cam to said other guide member so that said cam isadjustable transversely of said other guide member.
 19. The guide ofclaim 15, wherein said cam is made in one piece of plastic.
 20. Theguide of claim 15, wherein said other guide member is provided with apair of openings extending between first and second sides of said otherguide member, said cam being disposed on said first side and having apair of protuberances which project through respective ones of saidopenings to said second side, and each of said protuberances beingprovided with a head which engages said second side.
 21. The guide ofclaim 15, wherein said other guide member is provided with an openinghaving a toothed section, said cam having a toothed portion which mesheswith said toothed section.